• His father put
     Pastinha in the School of Naval Apprenticeship 
    1902

    Information about M Pastinha in the Marines

    Newspaper Folha da Tarde in 1959: [M Pastinha] remembers that, when he was a student of the School of Naval Apprenticeship, he played escrima, sword, knife.

    M Pastinha in 1960 (manuscripts): «In the School of Naval Apprenticeship of Bahia I was 110, and taught my buddies from 1902 to 1909, good time.»

    Magazine O Cruzeiro in 1963: In [1902 M Pastinha] he served the army in the apprentice school of sailors, in Bahia, where he was a musician (horn virtuoso), and in which regimental school he prepared himself. At the same time he taught capoeira to his colleagues.

    Jornal do Commercio in 5-7-1964: 12 years old, his father put him in the School of Naval Apprenticeship, where he stayed until almost 20 years old. He remembers that, in school, his salary was 75 thousand-reals, of which he received only 30 since the rest the government deducted. Of this money, he put 20 thousand-reals to the Caixa Economica bank and, with what was left, he went on his "binges" on Sundays.

    Also in the Marines, he had his first contact with music, learning to play the "horn", so much so that he joined school's little band. And with pride he speaks of his master of music, prof. Anacleto Vidal da Cunha, father of the known clinical medic Eduardo Vidal da Cunha [read below!], recently deceased.

    M Pastinha in 1967 (Magazine Realidade): «At 12 years of age, in 1902, I went to the School of Naval Apprenticeship. There I taught capoeira to my colleagues. They all called me 110. I left the Marines 20 years old.»

    M Pastinha in 1975 (Newspaper Ex-13): «Well, so I went to the Marines, in 1902. I stayed there and so on and in 1910 I jumped and asked for a leave, right? I stayed 8 years in Marines.

    There was a professor who knew my uncle, right? So my uncle complained and so on that the boy was a troublemaker, didn't want anything, doesn't pay attention, didn't want to study, and so on, there is no chance for this boy. The answer he gave to my uncle: put him in the Marines. You hear me? Put his in the Marines. So I was there frightened by his answer. Put him in the Marines, I stayed looking like this at him and giving a laughter. When he left I didn't bother.

    So time passed, passed, came a time, 1902, when I had an instinct and I went to the Marines, to serve time, to employ myself as destitute. Right?

    I got there, asked the guard: my friend, I wanted to talk here with a friend. With whom could I come to an understanding here? He said: what do you want? Want to serve time? I said yes. So he called the corporal of the guard, the corporal came. Came, said, is this the guy who wants to serve time. The guard corporal asked me to enter, took me to the official of the day, right? He took me to see the commandant and so on, getting there the commandant told that I wasn't good enough, right? Because I was too little [read about the minimum height below!]. He said: you need to eat 4 more sacks of flour to enter here. The rifle is bigger than you!

    So I stayed like this, sad, right? So I said him: I don't have anywhere to stay. He said: where do you live? I say, I was employed, he was like this, was, said: let him sleep here. He will be growing here. The name of the official was lieutenant Olivo. So I stayed there. They made me the chief of the cleaners. Later came the health inspection and so on. I managed to enter the school. And order came: Vicente Ferreira Pastinha, number 110, I said here! I got the uniform. Me and 16 more boys.

    So the teacher who sent me to the Marines before, my uncle's friend, was the said teacher of that school, in the Marines. I saw him in front of me and said: oh! He told the ones who don't know how to read to step out. He looked at me, looked at the others who didn't step and said to me to step: so I stepped. He said to read. I said, I can't. He said to read, read, read. He took a bundle of paper, right, wrote ABC, said take, sit.»

    Magazine Placar in 1979: As a boy, he lived free around the town, having capoeira as his main mischief. Until his father, a severe spaniard, decided to list him in the Marines. And there Pastinha became a sailor. When he left, 21 [20?] years old [..]

    M Decanio in 1997: Another recrute who certainly distressed his superiors was Vicente Ferreira, who secretly taught the skills of the fight to many friends. Later after leaving from the School in 1909, already with the nickname of Mestre Pastinha, he became one of the biggest icons of capoeira angola in Bahia and the country.

    Image gallery

    • 1902 - The year M Pastinha became enlisted. Read below!

    • 1909 - The year M Pastinha was discharged. Read below!

    • «In the school of Naval Apprenticeship I was 110, and taught my buddies from 1902 to 1909, good time.»

    M Pastinha in the Marines


    The old School of Naval Apprenticeship

    The old School of Naval Apprenticeship

    The text

    • page 1

      -

      Almanac Laemmert : Administrative, Mercantile and Industrial (RJ) - 1891 to 1940
      Year 1902\Edition A00059

      School of Naval Apprenticeship

      Teacher of gymanstics and swimming
      Alfredo Rigaud

      Music teacher
      Anacleto Vidal da Cunha [flautist]

      Apprentices... 148 [M Pastinha number 110!]

    • +

      page 2

      Almanac Laemmert : Administrative, Mercantile and Industrial (RJ) - 1891 to 1940
      Year 1909\Edition B00066

      Model school of naval apprentices of Bahia [!]

      Runs in the extinct Naval Dockyards

      This is the way to have a minor admitted to the apprentice school.
      have 12 to 16 years of age;
      have the minimal height of 1m35;
      not suffering any illness of physical defects.

      The minors living in the capital can be sent to the school by their parents or guardians, by the orphans' judge or the police chief.

      If the minor satisfies the three above conditions, he will be admitted to the school, with the authorization of the orphans' judge, if he's an orphan.

      If he's brought by father or mother, a stamped application is enough for the admission.

      The school supplies stamps for free, as well as the application form.

      The parents and guardians of minors outside the capital, will send their application to the school commander, accompanying the minors, with the help of local authorities (law judge or police chief).

      If the minor, sent to the school is not accepted, for not satisfying the three above conditions, he will be handed over to the parents and the school will provide a trip back and the necessary means.

      Application form

      «To Mr. Corvette Captain, Commander of the School of Naval Apprenticeship of (city) so and so

      Says «so-and-so» not being able to give necessary education to his son «so-and-so» of «so many» years of age, for not having the means, is asking respectfully you, the dignified, to list him as apprentice in the School under your dignified direction.

      For that he asks

      Acceptance.

      (Federal stamp 300 rs.)


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